This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below

This article translated by Frederic Beudot is syndicated from the original French article by Frederic Boebaert, the owner/operator of the Elfbi forum and Elfbi High-End website. The article can be read here in its original form. All photos are the property of Fredfish. - Ed

November 19th and 20th saw another one of those small but extremely high-quality audio shows take place, this time in the superb Neumunster abbey of Luxembourg. The show was organized by Romain Wagner of Audio Concept who offered listeners five highly tuned systems to sample at will.

It is almost impossible to have revelatory auditions during an audio show simply because set-up and acoustic limitations tend to abound. Yet I keep telling myself that one day a system will challenge my established hierarchies. At this show it actually happened - and by the system I least expected would be able to provide a revelation. This proved once again how system synergies, fine-tuning and smart adaptability to local acoustics contribute far more to the end result than individual components may indicate.

When it comes to the last system in this report, I was transported and blown away by how well it aligned with my personal priorities and expectations which have evolved and been refined over the past year or so. Romain Wagner knows how to put together a show and welcome his guests to create the best impression for his star brands. This very much felt like an emerging style of dealer-organized show which is starting to emerge throughout Europe and which is meant to draw listeners in by providing an experience that extends far beyond the mere swapping of shiny audio components.

From Belgium we headed south into Luxembourg, downtown into the old city at the Abbey where the town has created a spectacular cultural center in an area infused with Luxembourg's history.

Very much picture postcard perfect. The abbey has been modernized and transformed while respecting its original form.

It all started on a strong note with this high-color Duo Mezzo system by AvantGarde Acoustic.

As the brand's new preamplifier was still being fine-tuned by the designer, the system used Avantgarde's small integrated amplifier Model 3 but already showcased their newest power amplifier from the XA series.

The room was large and opened onto other wide spaces.

The
XA preamplifier here on static display will be battery powered like ASR.